Saving A Lost Father
by yamiyugi23
Summary: On his father's birthday Sirius remembers his father who had done so much to protect him only to find that he had a second chance in Harry Potter, his Godson and Father. Prequel for Another Time, Another Identity. One Shot. Slash/yaoi. Time Travel. AU. Written for several challenges.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, I do not have any rights to Harry Potter and I do not make any money from writing these fics.**

**A/N: Written for the A Bit of Motivation Competition, the One Million Words Added Challenge, the Chocolate Frog Challenge, the If You Dare...Continued Challenge, the Disney-A-Thon Challenge, the Hogwarts Classes Challenge, and the Monopoly Challenge Competition Thingie.**

**Prompts: When Words Where Actions, Write about someone's sacrifice for love (Lord Milori), Write a fic of over 5,000 words, must have multiple characters (3 or more), Chocolate, Happiness, High Heels.**

**A/N: This is a prequel to a multichapter story that I am planning out and might write and post. I know I don't normally do this but this plunny has really got hold of me.**

**Saving a Lost Father**

Laughter and happiness filled Sirius' senses as he sat quietly in the corner of the living room in his family home. The memories of his childhood flowed back to him through the walls as he pictured in his mind eyes his little brother standing proudly next to his mother while his father stood a few inches away from them with Sirius standing in front of him and a proud look on his face as he looked at both of his sons.

'If only I knew what I know now, if only I had known the truth' Sirius thought as he looked down at his still full cup of fire whisky only to let out a heavy sigh as he stared at his reflection 'If I had known that it was him, if I had what was going on and how _mother_ was treating him I could of done so much and changed the future.'

Letting out a deep sigh Sirius allowed himself to fully relax back into his chair while keeping the brooding air around him. His grey eyes watched as the Weasley's twins ran by with their younger sister chasing after them shaking her fist while Ron and his father sat quietly together enjoying a game of chess on one of the rare days Arthur had off.

Raising his cup to his lips Sirius took a deep sip and allowed the effects of the alcohol to wash over him, the taste and effect causing him to come back from his memories and into the present day.

"I wish you were still alive today dad," Sirius whispered softly as he stared at Arthur Weasley with longing eyes, "If you were I would of made sure that today would be a wonderful birthday for you."

With a heavy sigh Sirius raised his glass to take another sip only to freeze in mid motion as his Godson walked into the living room, arms filled with books he was obviously carrying for Hermione, only for his bright emerald green eyes to turn and stare at with Sirius.

"No, it can't be," Sirius gasped out in shock as his hold on his glass tightened as he found himself drawn into Harry's eyes like a moth and a flame, "Those eyes hold the same knowledge and pain in them that dad's eyes used too."

Unable to help himself Sirius slowly stood up and walked towards Harry on slightly unsteady feet while only pausing to put his half full glass down on the table half way. His eyes took in every single detail of Harry's body, the way nose stuck out, how he held himself, the way he nervously looked around you room as if expecting someone or something would jump out at him. For Sirius, at that moment of time it was almost as if he was looking at a younger more innocent version of his father who had done all he could to look after him while being subjected to his wife's actions.

"It all fits, it all fits," Sirius said in shock catching everyone's attention, "It...he...they..."

"Sirius, what is wrong?" Arthur asked carefully as he watched Sirius stand in front of Harry and look at him as if he was a ghost of a loved one.

"D-Do you not see it? Can you not see who it is Arthur?" Sirius asked as he shakily raised his right hand towards Harry, "It is him, it is him..."

"Padfoot?" Harry asked worriedly as his eyes flickered between Sirius and Arthur, "Is something wrong?"

A frown appeared on Arthur's face, his eyes quickly took in the scene before him as he tried to understand what had set Sirius off. After raising seven children he had picked up on a few things, one of which was his ability to tell the twins a part without much effort. Shock and surprise entered him as Arthur finally understood what had Sirius acting the way he had. Quickly he turned to the children only to find them looking at him for help.

"Why don't you all go outside and enjoy the sun? I bet you could even get Molly to make you all something to eat," Arthur said as he offered them all an understanding smile, "It seems that Sirius could use some time alone, he has had one too many firewhisky's to drink and need to lie down. Ron, could you ask your mother to bring in some sobering potions please?"

"Okay dad," Ron replied as he sent one last nervous look at Sirius before he stood up and turned to his two friends, "I guess now would be the best time to show you what I mum and dad got me for my birthday."

Suddenly nervous, Harry looked at Ron and Hermione before slowly nodding his head. He sucked his lower lip between his teeth and shot his two friends an unsure look. They watched his expression shift from dubious to hopeful. It was an expression that Harry got whenever he had made up his mind about something, and it was a look that Hermione and Ron were very familiar with.

"I...I need to talk to both of you alone too," Harry said softly as he looked down at the floor nervously causing him to feel more than see the worried looks on his two best friends' faces, "This is about something that has happened over the weeks I was with my relatives and I want to get your reactions first before I tell anyone else."

Ron and Hermione shared a worried look with each other behind Harry's back. Even though they did not say it no words were needed as they had a silent conversation before Ron wrapped his arm around Harry's shoulders and Hermione offered Harry a comforting smile.

"No problem mate, let's ask mum for those sobering potions before going upstairs into my room to talk," Ron said as he shot Hermione a pointed look, "You have nothing to worry about Harry, both Hermione and I will accept you no matter what."

Unable to think up a reply Harry simply nodded his head in reply and allowed his friends to lead him out of the living room. Arthur watched on with a worried expression on his face as he watched his youngest son and his two friends walk out of the living room, concern and worry for Harry bubbled inside of him.

"I guess that it is not the time to be worry about Harry, huh Sirius?" Arthur asked as he turned back to the grey eyed man with a weak friendly smile, "With Ron and Hermione with him Harry will be alright, from how they acted it reminds me of the old saying that your father told me once a-"

"When words where actions everything will be easier to understand," Sirius said blankly as he continued to stare at the door his Godson and friends had just walked through, "Arthur, I am _not _drunk. Harry...oh Merlin, those eyes, how he holds himself...how he looks...everything about him just seems to scream at me. I do not know how it is possible Arthur but Harry is my father."

"If Harry was your father how can you tell what he really looks like?" Arthur asked with a frown as his eyes flickered to the door and back to Sirius, "I thought that your father was a metamorphmagus? Even if only a few people knew..."

"I saw my father's true form a lot...he always transformed back into his true form whenever it was just me and him," Sirius answered as he felt a sudden wave of grief trying to consume him, "He never did it much in front of Reggie, at the time I could never work out why but now...but now that I know the truth I know that the reason was because he was mother's favourite, that he would tell mother everything which would be _very _dangerous for father."

Arthur kept quiet and simply nodded his head while he thought things over, no matter what side he chose to take, if he believed Sirius or not, some of the facts were too startling and true once he thought about them to ignore them.

"Father...he...he died for me. He sacrificed himself for me just because he loved me so much," Sirius said as he rubbed his eyes, "When I ran away from home...mother was furious, she past the stage where I would never experience happiness again and not eat chocolate for a month. She wanted to _kill me _because I had shamed the family so much, to mother how the family is viewed is everything and I broke that rule."

A soft slow creaking sound suddenly came to their ears, quickly turning their heads in the direction of the noise Sirius and Arthur found themselves looking at Molly Weasley who held a sobering potion in her hand.

"Ron said that you asked him to bring a sobering potion?" Molly asked as she walked into the room allowing the door to shut behind her with a soft click. "Is everything alright?"

"Today is Orion Black's birthday," Arthur said with a pointed look at his wife. "It seems that there is more to the man than we thought."

"He was a wonderful man, he always seemed ahead of his time and he always knew things before they would happen. I did not realise until now just why that was," Sirius said as Molly walked over to them. "I...I cannot believe that my father is Harry, my own Godson grows up to somehow go back in time and become my father."

"Sirius, you need to calm down. I think you have had one too many to drink," Molly said softly as she pulled Sirius into a motherly hug only for the ex-con to try and push her away. "Hush now dear, you need this and we both know it. Just relax and calm down."

At Molly's words Sirius let out a heavy sigh and allowed himself to go boneless against Molly's chest. As a soft comforting hum came to his ears followed by a hand full of love running through his hair Sirius closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall back in time to when his father did this for him whenever they had a moment alone.

"Arthur, what will we do? He thinks that Harry is his father," Molly whispered above Sirius' head, her words hissed out slightly in an attempt to not upset or let Sirius hear her. "Do you think that we should get a mind healer?"

"Molly...I...I think that Sirius is correct. I have picked up a few things while raising our children and I find myself agreeing with Sirius, no matter how unlikely that is," Arthur said softly through his words held conviction. "While I have been listening to Sirius...I have realised that there are several little pieces of information and evidence that just does not seem to add up."

"Like what?" Molly asked with a worried expression on her face as she turned to look down at Sirius who held a look of utter peace on his face. "Orion died years before Harry was even born. His parents were still in school...if I remember right Orion died a few days after Sirius said he left home to live with the Potter's."

"You remember those old photographs that were all over this place before we put them in a scrapbook and gave them to Sirius?" Arthur asked slowly as he carefully thought out his words. Molly nodded her head, she remembered that day. "Well one of those photographs were of Sirius' father, Orion Black, and now that I remember I cannot help but think how much alike they look. Harry and Orion both hold themselves in the same way and they both have the same look in their eyes."

"But Arthur dear, both of them seen war, remember the time that Orion lived in," Molly said with a sigh as she looked down at Sirius only to find the man staring up at her with grey eyes that held nothing but the truth. "Sirius...I-"

"Molly, I know that you do not believe me, I know that you think that Azkaban has drove me insane and it is finally show but I can prove it to you, I can prove to you and everyone else that Harry is my father," Sirius said as he reluctantly pulled away from Molly. "Arthur do you still have that potion that Percy sent to you? The one he had to brew for his potion exam?"

"Yes, I remember the one, he had to brew a potion which would show the true identity of the person when it is poured over a piece of paper with a bit of hair from the person or some blood," Arthur said only to freeze when understanding appeared in his eyes. "Sirius...do you really think that this is going to do anything? He is not your father yet, the information that you are looking for will not show up yet."

"I know, which is why I am looking for something else," Sirius replied with a hint of hidden knowledge in his eyes. "I remember the same potion being used on my father when we tried to find a way to save him but it turned out to be too late. I know who turned up on the soul mate section."

"If Harry had the same soul mate as your father did than I have to admit Sirius that you are right," Molly finally said as she sighed and took a step away from Sirius. "People only have one soul mate and nothing can change that, no time travel or marriage. Out of curiosity through...who is your father's soul mate?"

"You would not believe it if I told you, you would think I was drunk enough to go about walking in high heels singing muggle love songs," Sirius replied with a wicked grin on his face. "Alaster Moody."

"Alaster Moody?" Arthur asked in confusion. "Forgive me Sirius but why did you suddenly come out with his name so randomly...or else..."

"That's right Arthur," Sirius said with a small chuckle, enjoying the reactions he got from Arthur and Molly. "My father an Alastor Moody are soul mates. Do you not remember how they acted around each other when my father was on his death bed?"

"I remember Albus complaining that Mad Eye was spending too much time with dark wizards," Molly said with a thoughtful expression on her face. "And that I saw him one or two times carrying flowers, a small muggle teddy bear and than suddenly one day I found him crying and just staring at the wall."

"That was when my Alaster found out he was my father's soul mate and the Potters and I found out the truth about what was going on between my parents," Sirius said with a found smile at the short and bittersweet memories. "When we all found out the truth we all tried to do something to save him but we realised that it was too late...he had suffered mentally and physically at the hands of my mother for too long...if only we had realised earlier, if only I had spoken up as soon as I got to Potter manor."

"Do not blame yourself Sirius, maybe if Harry is your father we can set him up and help him out so things will be different this time, maybe this time we can train him so he can fight for his happy ending," Arthur said softly as he reached out and placed a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Molly...can you please get the potion? Also...remember that hairbrush on the kitchen table you were using to try and tame Harry's hair this morning? Can you get some hair from the hairbrush? That way we will not have to bother or alert the children to the fact that something is up."

Arthur and Sirius watched as Molly gave them a stiff quick nod of her head before turning and quickly walking out of the door she had just come through. Each one of her steps were filled with determination and urgency.

"Everything is going to be alright Sirius, if this potion does show the connection that we are looking for than we will do everything in our power to change Harry's future and our past," Arthur said softly as he gave Sirius' shoulder a small squeeze. "I promise you that things will not end up like they did the last time around, we will make sure that things are different this time around."

Sirius only nodded his head silently as the soft sound of potion vial's being moved about came to his ears. His heart pounded in his chest as he tried to make sense of just what was going on, hope threatened to disappear through he fought to keep it alive as Sirius remembered the horrible state his father had been in upon his death bed and how he now had a chance to change it.

"I remember..." Sirius said softly catching Arthur's attention. "I remember that night I ran away from home and went to the Potters, I thought I was imagining things when I checked over my bag of belongings only to find several items I did not pack. Like letters, a golden snitch, extra brand new clothes, money, food, a photograph of father holding me just minutes after I was born and a set of vault keys. It was not until later when Lord Potter, James' father, went to try and get custody of me from my father only to suddenly appear in the middle of the entrance hall with my father bleeding in his arms and shouting for a healer while also saying that he knew the truth...my dad died that night...if only I had looked at the back of the photograph and stopped and thought I would of been able to piece together all of the jigsaw pieces."

"Sirius, it is not your fault," Arthur said softly as he gave Sirius a stern look as he easily spotted a glint in the man's eyes. "It was not your fault, no one knew the truth about what happened to your father or what your mother was doing to him. I can tell you that You-Know-Who was not very happy about your fathers death."

"He wasn't?" Sirius asked, a confused frown appeared on his face as he gazed up at Arthur. "What do you mean? Father always allowed _mother _to take the lead through he did only mention once that he thought the Dark Lord had good points and bad points about him."

"Severus Snape," Arthur stated simply causing Sirius to 'oh' in understanding. "He reported during one Order meeting that he had Lady Black brought before him and questioned her about why on earth she would treat just a noble pureblood man that has helped him so much in such a manner for."

"My father helped the Dark Lord?" Sirius asked in shock as he stared at Arthur with wide eyes. "Did Severus get hit with a spell without knowing it or something? Whenever I got to spend a moment alone with my father without my mother's influence he always asked me to never become a Death Eater."

"Do you remember that time when the Death Eater attacks slowly became fewer and farther in between?" Arthur asked as he gave Sirius a knowing look. "When You-Know-Who's actions started to become a bit more understandable and people began to see reason in them?"

"I do...it was about the same time that father began to have a penpal, one of which mother was so pleased about," Sirius answered as he frowned slightly. "Sometimes the smiles that would appear on his face as he read those letters made the darkness in the manor disappear."

"It turns out that your father was a greater man than we ever gave him credit for," Arthur said with a chuckle as Sirius looked at him in confusion. "When Severus first began to report the brief sanity that the Dark Lord was showing we all just thought that it was a show, a front to try and fool us."

"I still can't believe that Snape started to spy for Dumbledore before he was even out of school. I will never understand him or his actions," Sirius muttered to himself before answering Arthur. "Are you trying to suggest that my father's penpal friend was..."

"You-Know-Who himself," Arthur finished with a nod of his head. "It seems that he and your father had started a strange mentor, friend and brother relationship if the letters hidden away in the draw of your father's private office desk was anything to go by when Molly had us cleaning this house earlier in the summer."

Shock filled Sirius as he stared at Arthur, disbelief yet understanding shone in his eyes. At Arthur's never disappearing truthful small smile Sirius found himself to be quickly believing the man.

"My father did and tried to do so much for everyone, but no one ever took any notice of him or the little things that he used to do," Sirius said as he suddenly felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over him. "I really hope that we can train and protect Harry...Orion, my father, better this time so we can have a better future."

"Sirius...even if this potion proves to us that Harry is...will become your father do you not feel guilty about this? I feel as if we are training him up and sending him to fight for our past and future," Arthur admitted as his eyes trailed away from Sirius to the door where his wife was entering the room, this time with the requested items, and walk towards the small table in the living room.

"I do on some sort of level Arthur but on another one I do not because at least between the three of us Harry will have a chance at happiness and being trained compared to how it would be if we left everything up to Dumbledore. Besides Harry will be able to meet his parents and grandparents even if it is only for brief moments," Sirius explained calmly as he watched Molly place the items on the small living room table. "Besides Harry is destined for greatness no matter what he does, this time through I am going to do my best to add in a bit of happiness for him."

Nodding his head in understanding Arthur turned his attention to his wife. "Have you got everything dear?"

"I did, I also brought some parchment with me so we would be able to keep the information instead of having to quickly memories it," Molly answered as she carefully finished placing the wooden hairbrush on the table. "Just to make things clear we agree that if Harry's soul mate shows up as Alastor Moody he is Sirius' father...or will be Sirius' father."

"That is correct, no matter who or how powerful you are you cannot hide certain pieces of information," Sirius replied with a nod of his head. "It is too late...errr...early I mean for us to be able to tell things like marriage, children and so on but soul mates always show up no matter how old or how young a person is."

Silence filled the room as tension reached an all time high. Arthur and Sirius watched silently as Molly pulled a short midnight black hair from the hairbrush that could be mistaken for no one else's but Harry's and placed it down on the empty parchment. Molly paused and gave her husband and Sirius a quick nervous glance before turning back and picking up the potion vial.

"Here is the moment of truth," Molly said softly, her voice ringing out loudly in the silence.

A second later the soft sound of a cork being removed came to their ears as Molly opened the potion and carefully poured a few tiny drops onto the top of the raven black hair strand. Three pairs of eyes watched unblinkingly as both the potion and the hair sunk into the parchment as if they had never been there only for elegant writing to take their place.

"Molly...if you please," Arthur asked as he watched the parchment become half full.

"Name, Harry Potter. Parents, Lily and James Potter. Godfather, Sirius Black. Age, Fifteen," Molly read out as she summarised the writing on the parchment. "Soul mate...soul mate..."

"Yes?" Sirius asked as hope shone in his grey eyes as he leant forwards.

Molly turned and faced the two men with shock clearly written across her face. "Soul mate, Alastor Moody."

"It is true then...Harry Potter and Orion Black are really the same person," Arthur gasped out in shock as he stared at his wife in disbelief. "I...I cannot believe it."

"I told you so," Sirius blurted out, feeling like a young child. "I know my father, I told you that Harry was my father."

"This is all well and good, and this does go towards proving a lot of things," Molly said causing both Sirius and Arthur to stare at her. "But I remember Arthur telling me about how Orion Black was a Metamorphmagus...I know that Harry is not one."

"Yet, he is not a Metamorphmagus yet," Sirius said without a single doubt in his eyes or on his face. "I remember when I first saw father change how he looks I asked how he did it and he explained to me that he was a Metamorphmagus but he did not come into this skill until he was fifteen because of some spells and an attack on his life did something to destroy the spell blocking the skill. So he passed it off as something he gained on his sixteenth birthday."

"Smart move," Arthur said softly as he raised his hand and rubbed his chin in a very thoughtful manner. "It would work very well, no one would know that it was a lie. I have seen strange things in the time I have worked for the Ministry of Magic ranging from bum eating tea pots and killer stuff toys to plants that eat a person's skin and a bed that kept playing a muggle song every time it was sat on."

Molly shook her head and sighed only to freeze when she spotted a glint in Sirius' eyes. "The answer is no, you are not going to try and recreate any of those and Arthur do not encourage him."

"Yes Molly," both Arthur and Sirius replied with matching sheepish grins on their faces.

"Now that the two of you believe me when I say that Harry is my father can we put our plan into action and give him a fighting chance at happiness?" Sirius asked only for his mouth to snap shut when the sound of a soft unsure knocking came at the kitchen door.

"That must be the children, anyone else would have no idea of what is going on so they would not knock," Arthur said as he turned back to Molly and Sirius. "If I remember correctly Harry had something important that he wanted to tell us but he wanted to tell Ron and Hermione first. My best guess is that Ron and Hermione has convinced him to tell us whatever he has told them."

"I hope that it is that Harry wants to tell us that he is a Metamorphmagus now," Sirius said only to get a sharp warning look from Molly.

"I know that you have had a high intensity Quidditch match emotionally wise Sirius but try to tone it down around the children. If it is alright with you two I do not want them or anyone else finding out about Harry being Sirius' father in case something happens that could destroy this timeline," Arthur said seriously only for him to get twin nods of agreement from Molly and Arthur. "Better let the children in now before they start to think that something is really wrong or they get to scared and decide not to tell us."

"You can come in," Sirius called out loud enough to let those on the other side of the door hear him.

Sirius, Arthur and Molly watched as the door slowly creaked open to reveal a scared looking Harry Potter with Hermione and Ron standing behind him in a supportive way.

"Is something the matter dears?" Molly asked softly as she tried to put Ron, Hermione and Harry at ease. "We have finished so do not worry."

"Padfoot...Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, I have something important to tell you," Harry said nervously only to find himself stumbling into the room as Ron gave him an encouraging push forwards. "It is about what I wanted to talk to Ron and Hermione alone."

Sirius nodded his head in response while keeping his expression soft, supportive and open knowing that at this moment of time any sign of negative emotion might cause his precious Godson slash father to change his mind and lie. Knowing better than to rush Harry into tell him Sirius sat silently and waited for Harry to tell him on his own free will.

"This summer, during the time that I have been with the Dursley's something happened to me, I changed," Harry said finally causing Sirius, Molly and Arthur to share thoughtful looks with each other. "I have told Ron and Hermione and they have told me what I can do has a proper name to it and I should not have to be too careful with it like my ability to speak to snakes."

Sirius nodded his head and waited for his Godson to continued, he did not have to wait long through as a few seconds later Harry finished what he was saying.

"I...Ron, Hermione and I think that I was born with this skill but something happened to block it and something in the graveyard during the ritual Voldemort," everyone flinched at the name, "caused something to break the spell that was holding this _skill_ back."

Harry took a deep breath and looked behind him at his two friends for support before finishing what he was saying.

"I am a Metamorphmagus."

**End.**


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